X. Look at the fact files. What do they have in common? Are there any differences? Speak about them. Facts about us schools

• Schooling is compulsory from ages 6 to 16.

• The typical school day starts at 8.00 a.m. and finishes at 3.00 p.m.

• The school year generally begins in September and ends in June.

• Students attend school approximately 178 days a year.

• Students who fail a grade are often asked to repeat it or attend summer school.

• 29% of students do two or more hours of homework daily.

• 84% of students watch TV two or more hours daily.

• 50% of all public schools have access to the Internet.

• Annual university tuition and fees cost an average of $2.860 for students for students in public universities (about 80% of all students) and $12.430 for students in private universities.

Facts about uk schools

• The school year starts in September and ends in the 3rd week of July.

• The school day starts at 8.30 and finishes at 4 o’clock.

• No lessons on Saturdays.

• Children have lunch at school.

• Schoolchildren usually wear uniforms.

• School holidays are longer at Christmas and Easter but much shorter in summer than in other European countries.

• Children cannot leave school before they are 16.

• In English school sport plays an important part.

• There are state and private schools in Britain.

• Education in state schools is free.

XI. Answer the following questions and make the same fact file about schools and schooling in your country.

1. Do most children start primary school at the age of five?

2. How many subjects do children study at secondary school?

3. How many lessons do they have every day?

4. Are schools private in your country?

5. At what age can children leave school?

6. How many terms are there in a school year?

7. Do children have to wear uniforms?

XII. Compare the system of elementary and secondary education in Great Britain and Belarus. Find information to support your ideas.

1. Is education in Britain strongly class marked and divided? Can you say the same about the education in your country?

2. Do you see any difference between primary education in Britain and in Belarus? What is it?

3. What is the main difference between secondary education in Britain and in Belarus? What are positive and negative features in both of them?

4. What do you like (or don’t like) in British (Belarusian) system of education? Why? Support your point of view.

5. Why do wealthy people in Britain prefer public schools? What are these schools famous for? Are there private schools in your country?

6. What is your attitude to the opportunity of British schoolchildren to choose the subjects to learn?

2.3 An Ideal School

I. Read the text and make the list of ideas which can help to create a perfect school. The Idea of Summerhill

This is a story of a modern school - Summerhill. Summerhill began as an experimental school. It is no longer such; it is now a demonstration school, for it demonstrates that freedom works.

When my first wife and I began the school, we had one main idea: to make the school fit the child - instead of making the child fit the school.

Obviously, a school that makes active children sit at desks studying mostly useless subjects is a bad school. It is a good school only for those who believe in such a school, for those uncreative citizens who want docile, uncreative children who will fit into a civilization whose standard of success is money.

I had taught in ordinary schools for many years. I knew the other way well. I knew it was all wrong. It was wrong because it was based on adult conception of what a child should be and of how a child should learn.

Well, we set out to make a school in which we should allow children freedom to be themselves. In order to do this, we had to renounce all discipline, all direction, all suggestion, all moral training, all religious instruction. We have been called brave, but it did not require courage. All it required was what we had - a complete belief in child as a good, not an evil, being.

My view is that a child is innately wise and realistic. If left to himself without adult suggestion of any kind, he will develop as far as he is capable of developing. Logically, Summerhill is a place in which people who have the innate ability and wish to be scholars will be scholars; while those who are only fit to sweep the streets will sweep the streets. But we have not produced a street cleaner so far. Nor do I write this snobbishly, for I would rather see a school produce a happy street cleaner than a neurotic scholar.

What is Summerhill like?...